INTER MILAN’S sporting director has confirmed that Lautaro Martinez can join Barcelona this summer but only if his £100million release clause is met.
Antonio Conte’s side face a fight to hold onto the Argentine striker after he scored an impressive 16 goals in 31 matches in all competitions this season.
Barcelona have made Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez their top transfer target this summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Martinez’s stunning form has led to huge interest from Spanish giants Barcelona, who view the 22-year-old as the ideal long-term replacement for Luis Suarez.
He has a £97.5m buyout clause in his Inter contract that expires on July 7 but football’s financial crisis means Barca are being forced to tighten the purse strings.
One option that has been rumoured to lower the cost is for the Spaniards to allow SEVEN players to leave on swap deals.
But Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio claims the Serie A outfit have no intention of losing their best players and the only way Martinez will leave is if a team is willing to meet his release clause.
The reality of the situation with Martinez is that there’s only one path to take him away from Inter and that is to pay the release clause
Inter Milan’s sporting director
He told Sky Sport Italia: “The reality of the situation with Martinez is that there’s only one path to take him away from Inter and that is to pay the release clause.
“It’s a clause everyone knows about, there’s no point hiding. It is a difficult clause because it has certain deadlines and some very precise demands.
“First and foremost, the clause expires in early July, so does not last very long. It’s the only possible way right now that we won’t see Lautaro Martinez at Inter next season.
“We are not discussing the Lautaro issue with anyone, because quite simply we are relying on him, he is an important asset for the club and let us not forget he still has two years left on his contract with Inter.
“We don’t have any intention of selling our best players, but rather to reinforce ourselves on the market.”
Barcelona have been openly courting Martinez in recent weeks after coach Quique Setien praised the Argentine for being one of the few players capable of working with Lionel Messi.
He said: “It’s clear that there are four or five players who play in that position that are extraordinary and that any of them could be at Barcelona.
“[Martinez] is a player who would be very good in this team, like other players of his level.”
Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio suggested that the Serie A side are not interested in swap deals for MartinezCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez shows off his skills with amazing bicycle kick in training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
